Snails are becoming an issue

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jb1007

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Jun 20, 2021
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5
What is the easiest way to control snail populations?

I have a 55 gallon deep tank. 30" w, 18 d, 24 h(odd shape). The snails hitched a ride on a plant. That is where I found them 2 weeks after the tank was started. There was a good 25 of them under the substrate(gravel) around the roots. I don't mind snails, they do a great job on algae and I would be okay with some but these are spreading really quickly. I am pretty sure they are the Ramshorn snails. Some are red, orange, brown or black and pretty small. I have searched around the web and it looks like my options are traps, tools, chemicals(don't like that), assassin snails, loaches or manual methods like lettuce and cucumbers. And then there is cutting down on the food. I have live plants. My water parameters are, ammonia 0, nitrites 0 and the nitrates 20ppm. PH is 7.4. I don't want to mess up the parameters.

6 red platies adults (3 male, 3 female - mistake)
2 baby red platies from them mating(not sure of sex yet)
8 zebra Danios
2 peppered corydoras
2 albino corydoras

and many snails.

I should have purchased one kind of corydoras, but the LFS said they would be fine. I feel bad. Also I wish the LFS would have given me 4 females and 2 males on the platies. Would have been better for the females.
 

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Make a trap. Cut a 500ml plastic bottle 2/3 of the way up. Put a stone in the lower half then turn the top half around and push it in to the bottom half. Put and algae wafer in to the device and drop in it. The snails can get in but not out.

Assassin snails are a good option.

Cutting down on food is a good plan.
I always find it amazing how easy snails populate on such little input.
 
Make a trap. Cut a 500ml plastic bottle 2/3 of the way up. Put a stone in the lower half then turn the top half around and push it in to the bottom half. Put and algae wafer in to the device and drop in it. The snails can get in but not out.

Assassin snails are a good option.

Cutting down on food is a good plan.
I always find it amazing how easy snails populate on such little input.

Thanks for your advice. I think I will try the bottle first. That seems to be less intrusive to the aquarium. Thank you.
 
Caliban07

I tried it but it just trapped a Platy. I had to remove it. I think I will continue to manually pull them out and order some assassin snails.
 
Cut back on feeding for sure, and then do a lettuce bait. They'll be super hungry and you'll get more. You can also ask around and see if anyone with puffers is looking for free or cheap snails at your lfs too
 
I tried it but it just trapped a Platy. I had to remove it. I think I will continue to manually pull them out and order some assassin snails.


Just put a small cork in the bottle top and drill a hole only large enough for snails.
 
Toad

Cut back on feeding for sure, and then do a lettuce bait. They'll be super hungry and you'll get more. You can also ask around and see if anyone with puffers is looking for free or cheap snails at your lfs too

I will try the lettuce bait. I will also cut the small feedings down to once a day. I usually like to feed them small amounts a couple times a day. Thank you
 
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